Raymar leaves footprint at Michigan State

Senior Raymar Morgan ended his career as a Michigan State Spartan on Saturday night following a 52-50 loss to the Butler Bulldogs. Raymar entered the contest playing his best basketball of the year but his last game as a Spartan had a familiar tune to it. Haunted by inconsistency over the past two seasons, Morgan found himself in early foul trouble and seemed to disappear from action on Saturday night, ending his 4 year Spartan career.

Though many people have been frustrated with Morgan's afore mentioned inconsistent play over his time as a Spartan, it must not be forgotten that he has been a crucial part of keeping Tom Izzo's Michigan State program at the top of NCAA basketball. Morgan joined the team in 2006 during a crucial transition point after sensational seniors Paul Davis (17.5 ppg) & Maurice Ager (19.3 ppg) graduated and were drafted into the NBA. Junior Forward Shannon Brown (17.2 ppg) hopped to the NBA early the same year leaving Izzo and the Spartans a combined 54.0 point per game hole to fill. A void like that is not easy to replace and many top programs have trouble doing so. Morgan's freshman season was one of Tom Izzo's greatest coaching jobs and most memorable seasons East Lansing will ever see. Every game was a battle and the Spartans won with Izzo trademark grit and determination, much of it due to Morgan's play.

During his freshman campaign, Morgan averaged 11.7 ppg & 5.7 rpg and brought a flashy excitement to a team that desperately needed someone to step up and score. He teamed up with Junior Drew Neitzal to form a dangerous scoring duo. The Spartans struggled through the regular season but had big wins vs #19 Texas and #1 Wisconsin to earn the Spartans (22-11) a 9 seed in the East Regional. It was clear that Raymar had world's of potential and expectations for his play grew exponentially in East Lansing as he was awarded honors as part of the Big-Ten-All-Freshman-Team.

He came back his sophomore season to up his scoring average 14 ppg & 5.2 rpg in a year were incoming freshman trio Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, and Chris Allen would help make the Spartans more dynamic. Raymar's improved scoring was hindered by issues staying out of foul trouble, a trend that stuck with Morgan through the remainder of his career.

Morgan started his junior year as a Spartan on fire, looking like he would become the star everyone expected going for 15.2 ppg and 6.6 rpg through 2 months of basketball. After a victory vs. Ohio State, Morgan became plagued with injury and illness as he missed a stretch of games that he wouldn't recover from. Morgan was criticized as lacking mental toughness on the court as his inconsistent play kept him from breaking through to be the superstar that was expected out of him. Morgan saw his minutes get cut in half while he was unable to avoid his trademark “1.0 travels per game” and ticky-tack fouls that fans grew accustomed to. Morgan went through 1 or 2 game stretches of brilliance, followed up by a disappearing act and more foul trouble in the following contests. The Spartans rallied for a trip to the NCAA Final at the end of the season but Morgan's play struggled through games with Louisville, Kansas, and USC. Raymar had a break out performance vs. Uconn in the semi-final but went back to struggling in the Final vs.UNC and fouled out of a 89-72 loss to the Heels.

Early in Morgan's senior season, there was little change in his scoring as he averaged 11.3 ppg and slightly up'd his rebounding to 6.2 rpg. The Spartan's Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers had become the go-to options with Sophomores Dreymond Green and Delvon Roe also being big-time contributors. Raymar found himself in a unique role as the team's only senior and one of their only true scoring post players. The Spartans seemed to go as Raymar would go and this showed through a rocky regular season as he still struggled to find consistent play.

Late in the year, the Spartans traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana to rumble with the Purdue Boilermakers with Big 10 title hopes on the line. It was from that point on that Raymar Morgan had a mission. Morgan put home 16 points and snatched 11 rebounds in a 53-44 gritty win over the boilers. He went on to average 16.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg through the next 8 regular/post season games and carried the Spartans into the Final Four. It was clear that Morgan did not want to lose; He refused to exit as that soft player that many people had accused him of being. To put it simply, Raymar's play was man-sized. The Spartans lone-senior played and lead like he was exactly that, helping the Spartans win 4 straight in the tournament capped off with a memorable clutch free-throw with 1.8 seconds left to lift MSU over Tennessee, sending the team to Indy. Redemption for a player that had faced so much criticism in the previous 2 seasons.

Just when things were clicking on all cylinders for #2, Morgan's dream run at a championship came full circle Saturday night vs. Butler. Morgan received back to back fouls at the 15:51 & 15:25 marks in the 1st half, sending him to the pine. He would re-enter the game just to receive his 3rd foul immediately at the 10:11 mark. Morgan would later get a 4th foul in the 2nd half and end the game with only 4 points and 5 rebounds. Morgan's frustration was palpable and it was a bitter end to what was a great run for the Spartans.

Though it was difficult to watch a player that had come so far in his career end with such a tough game, Raymar Morgan has been an incredible talent for Tom Izzo and the Spartans over the last 4 years. He has had a dynamic role on a team that has transformed dramatically over his stay. He inherited the large task of keeping MSU on top of the basketball world as an 18 year old freshman and helped carry a talented 2010 team being the lone starting senior as a 22 year old. Morgan is an accomplished player leading the Spartans to back to back big 10 championships and final four appearances in both his junior & senior season. Raymar Morgan is ending his career as a Spartan with 1,597 points and 772 rebounds; A statistic (1,500+ Pts / 700+ rebs) that only five other Spartans have achieved. Morgan is a forward that can fill a stat sheet while he also possesses the intangibles that made him a threat in every game. Raymar will be remembered for how he played with heart and always showed exactly how he felt out on the court. His ability to rally a struggling team and lead by example at the end of the 2010 season sent Spartan fans into a frenzy of March Madness fever. Morgan's play through his 4 years at Michigan state was inspiring and he has left his footprint in East Lansing forever.